How Much For Happy?
by One Of The Crowd
Summary: Crag and Manny have been dating for 8 months now, it's summer and he's away pursuing his dream of becominig a singer. Manny misses him...and she feels sad about the relationship 'cause Craig hasn't shown his tru feelings. Will he stop for a moment and try


**"_I complicated our lives by falling in love with him"_**

It's almost like I don't even know myself anymore…I've been dating Craig for 8 months now, but still… I'm confused. I'll be a senior in a few months and he'll be far away from me, we will only have phone calls and he won't be there to live that experience with me.

I mean, I love the guy, and us being together without someone on the other side has been my dream since…I can't even remember 'cause I think it has been my dream since forever. But still, I don't know if we'll survive a whole year with phone calls, and without seeing each other, without feeling each other, and I can't be like that a whole year, plus I'm afraid he'll cheat on me the way he did with Ashley, I hate that Ellie would come and take away my guy!

**"_I don't know why, I had to try living my live on the other side"_**

Emma says that I should take a break from Craig, "spend your senior year without having to think what would Craig think or if Craig would be mad if I do this.." and she's completely right, I won't be the Manny people know and love (I think so) 'cause I'll be always preoccupied abut Craig, and I'm not with him to live like that, I'm with him 'cause I love him, and I want to live happily ever after in his arms.

**"_Now, I'm so confused….I don't now what to do"_**

And there's something that I still wonder…we've been dating for 8 months but he hasn't said that he loves me yet. Maybe because he doesn't really want me…maybe he was just playing with me…maybe he doesn't like the fact f being lonely, that's why he kissed me and started dating me…damn, I'm that insecure?

**"_Cover Me in Ecstasy"_**

_"Manny, phone, it's Craig"_ said Mr. Simpson, I've been living with them for a long time now, and I like it here, it makes me feel like home.

_"Hey Manny"_ he sounded really excited, kind of happy.

_"Hey pretty boy, what are you doing?"_ I answered, trying not to sound disappointed.

_"Nothing much, listen, I want you to do me a favor. Ellie came last week to join me in my presentations for about a week, then she'll go to college, well...the thing is that she forgot a present Marco left her for me 'cause of my birthday at home, and I was wondering if you could go to her apartment and pick it for me so you could give it to me when we see each other?"_

That really pissed me, first because he was calling me to pick something that ELLIE forgot, and second 'cause Ellie was there with him and I wasn't!

_"Sure baby"_ I said without trying to sound angry

_"Can you go today? ...maybe at 8:00pm 'cause her mom will be there and I don't think she'll come back for a few weeks"_ that pissed me, what was I? Her maid?

_"Craig…I don't know…yeah, sure, whatever."_ I answered.

_"Thanks baby, you rock…look I've got to go, but I'll call you later"_

_"Yeah…bye"_

That really made me angry, he didn't even say "how are you doing?" or something like that, he just called me to do something that Ellie should have done! I'm his girlfriend, not some random girl!

**"_And I wonder how it started…how you became so cold-hearted"_**

So I'm here... at Ellie's house, I don't what I am doing here, I just could come over some other day, or even I just couldn't have come at all. But I did it, why? Because I love Craig with all my heart and he always makes me feel like a little child, I hate that he can do whatever he wants with me just because I'm deeply in love with him.

**"_I never wanna say goodbye, never wanna be without you"_**

I come up, and I notice that Ellie's door is widely open. Her mom is that stupid? She can't close the door? Any stranger could come, enter to the house and steal anything easily.

_"Mrs Nash? I'm Manny Santos Elie's frie-"_

I couldn't finish my sentence 'cause I was completely in shock. The apartment was beautifully decorated with lots of pink rose petals on the floor and all covered with vanilla-scented candles. Craig was standing in the back, dressed with a tuxedo and with a pink rose in his hand…everything was beautiful. You could hear "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Jem in the back.

_**"I'll be your strength; I'll be your hope, keeping your faith when it's gone"**_

_"I- I- Craig…what are you doing?"_

_"I'm here to show you my love. I know I've been a terrible boyfriend this last months.."_

_"Only the last months?"_ I said teasing.

_"ha ha, funny" he said laughing, and holding my hand "well...what I was trying to say is that you're the greatest person I've ever met in my whole life, you're the one that's always been there for me, I treated you like dirt, but you still came back to me. I could never stop thinking about you, even when I was with Ashley, something was not complete in me, with you I feel fulfilled, I feel amazing."_

**"_Maybe I'm amazed of the way I really need you"_**

_"Craig I don't know what to say… you've always been the man I loved, from the very first moment I knew it was you, and now that we're together…it's been great for me, 'cause I feel complete. I feel happy for the very first time in a long time."_ I said sobbing; I was just so glad that he did that to me just to tell me that he really wanted to be with me...I was completely happy.

That's when he leaned on me and kissed me. But it wasn't a regular kiss, it was full of passion but at the same time it had something that made it different from the other times we0ve kissed…I didn't knew what was that, but it was good.

_"I love you Manny Santos"_ That was a shock, he said he loved me! This night couldn't be better.

_"I love you too Craig Manning, I've always loved you"_

**"_Without you within me, I can't find no rest"_**

_"Oh...there's something I want to give you. I don't know if you'd like it...I hope so_"

He gave this little box, it was light purple and had a lace on it…I opened it. There it was, the beautiful bracelet he gave 3 years ago that I give it back when I found out he never told Ashley we were together, it was the ice-skate bracelet. I couldn't be more amazed, I've always wondered what did Craig did with it, I thought he threw that away…but no, it was with him the whole time. That bracelet made me remember of that beautiful night when he said that it's always been me. When he chose me, when he told me he wanted me.

_"It's beautiful, Craig… it's the perfect present."_

And with that, we kissed again…that's when I knew what that strange thing in our first kiss was….love. Finally he said that he loved me.


End file.
